Spring Cleaning … Everything You Need to Know to Get Your Home Clean, Fresh and Most of All to Stay Well
© 2023 Health Realizations, Inc. Update
Spring has arrived, bringing warmer weather, spring flowers and, for many of us, the first chance to open our windows in months. Spring is also the “best time to rid your house of dirt and clutter,” according to 60 percent of Americans surveyed by The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA).
"For most Americans, spring is a great time to clean and freshen up their home," said Brian Sansoni, SDA vice president of communication. "They are getting rid of a winter's worth of dust, dirt and grime. Of course, people also appreciate that there are significant physical and emotional benefits to keeping a clean house all year long."
In fact, 98 percent of those surveyed said they feel good about themselves when their house is clean … and that alone should be motivation enough to get scrubbing. But there’s more. SDA’s survey found even more benefits from frequent house cleaning:
Plus, there’s something inherently peaceful and calming about coming home from work to a home that smells as fresh as the spring air, and is devoid of clutter and mess. It makes your home truly feel like your own personal sanctuary.
Ready to get started?
With the tips that follow spring-cleaning your home will be a breeze.
Eight Essential Spring Cleaning Tips
1. Remove Any and All Clutter!
One of the basic tenants of feng shui, which is an ancient art of creating a harmonious environment in your home using space, placement of objects, color and more to keep vital energy aligned, is that clutter represents stagnant energy.
In order for energy, or chi, to flow -- and therefore for your home to feel peaceful, support your mental and emotional well-being and provide a sanctuary for you to reside in -- the clutter must be cleared. Plus, there's no point in cleaning items that you're planning to get rid of, so remove the clutter BEFORE you do anything else.
Clearing clutter presents a great opportunity to donate your items to your favorite charity and thereby help your community at the same time!
2. Organize Before You Start: Get Your Supplies Together
Only amateurs waste time running back and forth to get another sponge or more vinegar for cleaning. Professional cleaners know it saves time and energy to have everything you need all ready to go. So gather all of your cleaning supplies FIRST, and keep them with you in a large bucket.
Supplies that we highly recommend for effective and non-toxic cleaning include:
- Microfiber Terry cloths, Dusters and Mits. These are the same cleaning tools used by leading hospitals, hotels, and other organizations that depend on environments that are clean down to the biological level.
- Microfiber Mops. Rather than just pushing dust and dirt around, or worse, stirring it up into the air, microfiber mops pick up everything in their path -- including the biological and toxic contaminants that no other cleaning tool or solution can touch.
- The "Three Musketeers" of natural cleaning: baking soda, lemons and vinegar.
- Non-toxic Cleaning Solutions. Skip the harsh, chemical cleaners and opt for safe solutions, which contain no hazardous ingredients, petrochemicals, perfumes, dyes or animal byproducts, which are powerful cleaners delivering dramatic results with a multi-functioning non-toxic formulas that are safe and mild on your skin.
3. Clean One Room at a Time
Not only does this make the chore of cleaning an entire house much more manageable, but it means you can clean for an hour here or there, get an entire room done, then start up again another day.
“ … Spring cleaning does not have to be a monumental chore, as long as you plan ahead,” said Nancy Bock, SDA vice president of education. “Pick the right cleaning products for the right job. Take it one room, one cleaning task at a time. You’ll finish up faster if you tackle each spring cleaning project separately.”
The general game-plan for each room is the same: clean from top to bottom (dirt will fall to the floor as you clean) and only circle the room once. Clean all that you can from each position you're in (at the sink, for instance) before moving on. Move in a clockwise movement around the room if it will help you remember where you've cleaned already.
There is one rule when you use the “clean one room at a time” mantra and that is: Do not leave the room until you’re finished cleaning!
4. Delegate!
There’s no rule that says you have to spring clean by yourself, so enlist your spouse and your children to help. If necessary, give each a specific task to complete, such as cleaning out the refrigerator or pulling clothes to donate out of a closet. Even young children can help with small cleaning tasks.
5. Have Fun …
Cleaning and fun don’t normally belong in the same sentence … but why shouldn’t they? Since you have to clean anyway, why not have a good time doing it by putting on some music or making a game out of who can clean a room the fastest. And try to focus on the end result while you’re at it … having a clean, fresh and healthy home!
6. Don’t Forget to Clean Your Home’s Air, Too!
Most people would agree that a fresh, clean-smelling home is one of the main points of spring cleaning.
To clean your home's air, and remove potentially dangerous microbes, molds, and pollutants, look into and consider air purifiers with air-purifying technology that migrates through the area and neutralizes organic odors, microbes, and molds at their source.
7. Make a List of Bigger “Project” Tasks to Complete
As you go through your home cleaning each room, there will be some tasks that are projects in and of themselves. For example, you might devote a day just to cleaning your windows or basement or unclogging your gutters. As you think of these projects, jot them down and tackle them one at a time.
8. Take Pride by Staying Focused: Keep One Area of Your Home Clean at a Time
After you’ve spring-cleaned your home, take a few minutes each day to keep it that way by:
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Filing your mail and papers
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Doing dishes
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Sweeping the kitchen floor
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Cleaning the kitchen counters
By keeping your home clean and in order a little at a time, it’ll make the bigger cleaning jobs, like mopping your kitchen floor, much faster.
Sources
Soap and Detergent Association (SDA)
Three Out of Four Americans Spring Clean Yearly
Cleaning101.com
